Buenos Aires is a city of 15 millions inhabitants. During the morning rush hour, the traffic is very congested and vehicles move like snails in the city’s many one-way streets. I have been living in the Hollywood / Palermo area for the past month, about 5 or six miles away from the central business district (Viamonte, where my Spanish school is located at). Although I have been relying on Taxi (much faster and more convenient than public transportation) as my primary mode of transportation, I also took several rides on the famous Buenos Aires Bus.

The bus line 140 is around the corner from where I live. The buses are old and noisy and unreliable. Sometimes, I wait for good half hour and see nothing. And, all the sudden, three 140 buses show up all together.

But, the buses are funny and worthwhile experience, particularly from a person who is used to getting around the city by driving. As each bus company is an individual entity, the buses really have “personalities” and have unique decorations around the driver seats area because the bus is the office and part-time home for the drivers.

I have some photos to show you that. Some drivers have taped shinny CDs to the top of the ceiling while other placed toys (some with bobble heads) on the dashboard. When the driver is a football fan, he often drapes the flags of his favorite football teams and/or Argentina right under the cash-register, which is heavily padded by a thick layer of red carpet and feels like a new born baby. And, the coin box, which is old and cranky and only accepts coins, has occasionally displayed hilarious messages, e.g. 7777 (for 0000), or 6666.

Here is a link to the Buenos Aires Bus system.

Buenos Aires Morning Rush Hour

Congested One Way Street

Bus Line 140

Driver Seat #1

Driver Seat #2

Coin Box

Today, my dutch friend, Koen, and I took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uraguay.

Colonia is a small town, right across the Rio de Plata. It is a really nice contrast from the busy, hustling & bustling city life of the Buenos Aires. The town is small, and much cleaner (no more dog poops on the street). And, people are much calmer. The main attraction in the town is the small square across from the ruining of the old governor house and armory. We had lunch in an interesting restaurant – “The Drug Store”. The restaurant’s decoration, (walls, table clothes, art-decorations) are an explosion of different colors – red, orange, yellow, blue, and black. And, the restaurant menu is really a series of artworks, ranging from film posters, to paintings, to sketches of famous people. And, there was a man – Freddy Donatto singing in the restaurant under the tree.

While we were having fish for lunch, a stray dog came up to our table. It was not a beautiful dog. But, when I stared into those eyes (filled with needs for some food), I could not hold back and gave him some table-scraps. And, for the good part of our lunch, he slept next to my feet. When I see him and think about my dog at home, Zooba, I see a difference in their lives. My dog is pampered. She is very picky about food. And, here, this poor creature is easily satisfied with mere scraps from the table.

The town folks have planted many flowers around their houses. It is really a visual explosion of colors. After spending this month in the dusty big city filled with noisy traffics, I really enjoyed the relaxed environment. The town’s main landmark is the white colored lighthouse. Feeling the refreshing sea breezes & watching waves gently meeting the rocks, I feel really content.

There are a few idling tourists wandering around the town. Each enjoying his/her day off. We met a German family along along the way.

Somehow, Colonia reminds the idyllic Caribbean towns. It is really charming.

Here are some photos.

Drug Store Restaurant – Interior

Freddy Donatto – The Singer

Restaurant Menu 1

Restaurant Menu 2

Restaurant Menu 3

Restaurant Menu 4

Restaurant Menu 5

Restaurant Menu 6

Restaurant Menu 7

Hungry Dog

Some Animal Sculptures

Light House 1

Light House 2

Flowers on the House

A Street in the Old Town

This is my third week in Buenos Aires. The season has clearly turned into late Spring and early Summer. The sky has cleared up and the outside temperature has really become quite comfortable for wearing shorts and T-shirts.

While I have been studying hard (improving my Spanish), I took advantage of the beautiful Friday afternoon weather. I walked from my school (Viamonte & Cerritos) to La Boca, which is known for its working-class roots and the birthplace of Tango. The walk along the canal is really nice. It is a really pleasant feeling to stroll in the wide & open spaces along the dock instead of narrow city streets.

Along the way, I was stopped by five students. They asked me for a video interview. They are exchange students from USA to Buenos Aires, studying Spanish. They asked for my opinion about whether a traveler can experience the city by taking a Taxi cab or not.

And, on Sunday, my new suite mate, Koen, from Netherland, and I walked around the city a bit, bought our day trip sailing tickets to Colonia, and visited the Japanese Garden. The Japanese Garden is right next to the Zoo. There is a little lake inside the park. However, the water is very muddy. I even saw a nearly-dead Koi fish lying on its sideways. And, with the high-rises around around the park, it feels really weird.

Anyway, here are some pictures from this week.

Eduardo (My Spanish Teacher) and I

Dock 1

Dock 2

Dock 3

Dock 4

La Boca

Wall Muro in La Boca

Japanese Garden 1

Japanese Garden 2

Koen – Dutch Friend

Japanese Garden 4

Koi Fishes

Samurai Sculpture

Spanish Monument on Ave. Libertador